Animals / spotted-hyena-social-structure
Facts about Spotted Hyena Social Structure
- 05
Clan territories in spotted hyena social structure are actively defended by groups of females who patrol and scent-mark boundaries communally.
- 04
Dominance rank in spotted hyena clans is reinforced through greeting ceremonies, where subordinates present their erect genitalia to higher-ranking individuals.
- 03
In spotted hyena clans, males disperse from their natal group at sexual maturity and must earn low social status by immigrating into new clans.
- 02
Spotted hyena clans can contain up to 80 individuals, with clan membership and rank passed matrilineally from mothers to offspring.
- 01
The spotted hyena lives in female-dominated societies called clans, where even the lowest-ranking female outranks the highest-ranking male.